Learn the Secrets to Marital and Money Bliss

A finance professional discusses typical marriage/money pitfalls and offers advice:

"I was once asked to talk about finances to a small group of engaged couples attending a marriage preparation program. As I observed the couples, I felt as though I were watching a scene from Oprah focusing on dysfunctional relationships. What I saw were three textbook examples of how money and marriage don't necessarily mix well."

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Study finds divorce divides dads from kid

"Most teenagers distance themselves from their parents, but after a divorce that chasm is much wider between fathers and children."

More here

Couple married 60 years shares secrets of successful marriage

"Pat said the couple took advantage of every marriage and parenting class available, and believes those were critical in their happy marriage.

'One thing I have been so fortunate in, Tom was willing to take classes,' she said.

She also thinks their shared Catholic faith has played a role, although she gave it little thought when they first married."

Full story - and more secrets - here

U.S. Catholics and marriage: A mixed picture

"Seven in 10 U.S. Catholics describe themselves as at least "somewhat familiar" with Church teaching on marriage, and about one-third say they are "very familiar."

This is one of the statistics provided by a survey from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, and released by the U.S. bishops last week.

In a statement responding to the research, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, chairman of the bishops' Subcommittee on Marriage and Family Life, said the findings paint "a mixed picture" and that "it gives us reasons to be grateful and hopeful. It also raises concerns and presents us with challenges." "

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Wedding overshadows Christian marriage?

“Wedding is a day, but a marriage is a lifetime.”

Is that phrase captured by the church’s Engaged Encounter marriage preparation program a cliché or an overlooked notion?

According to an author and freelance speaker with more than three decades of experience with marriage preparation, the Catholic Church works to ensure that phrase is canon among engaged couples."

Full story from Catholic Online

The key to wedded bliss

Australian researchers say they can tell whether a marriage will last or end in divorce after asked just a few questions.

Full story is here.

Officials: Weddings lucrative for town

"Hatboro officials are taking suggestions for what to do with donations collected from about 30 marriages Mayor Norman Hawkes performed last year.

The total amount the borough has to spend isn't certain, but Hawkes guessed there's about $3,000 in the marriage fund pot to help fund community projects."

Full story from PhillyBurbs.com here

66 years of marriage: A love story

The Hartford Courant looks at one Connecticut couple.

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Newlyweds need to create financial plan

"The wedding is over, but your life as a couple has just begun. As a team working together for the first time, there are many adjustments you will have to make in the first year together. Of course, you must approach the small stuff like laundry duties and dishes, but one of your main priorities should be working to establish your financial foundation."

Full story from the Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.

A Good Fight May Keep You And Your Marriage Healthy

"A good fight with your spouse may be good for your health, research suggests. Couples in which both the husband and wife suppress their anger when one attacks the other die earlier than members of couples where one or both partners express their anger and resolve the conflict, according to preliminary results of a University of Michigan study."

Full story from Science Dailys

Marry Me

"Say yes, and you're in for more than love, children and a home. Better health and a longer life are part of the deal."

Full story from Time

Focus on Sacrament of Marriage best guarantee against divorce

Catholic Online examines an Illinois marriage-prep program.

What Makes a Man Marry?

David Zinzenko of Men's Health offers four factors.

Marriage Encounter supports Church’s “For Your Marriage”

"Strong support for the Catholic Church’s “For Your Marriage” initiative was announced today by the National Secretariat of Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

'It is our belief that vibrant, long lasting and dedicated marriages can and do exist and that married couples are seeking to make their good marriages, great marriages. The focus of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops on supporting and helping to foster good marriage principles is an effort that we all need to get behind and encourage,' said Tony and Cathy Witzak and Fr. Emile Frishe, the WWME National Secretariat Ecclesial Team.

The new USCCB marriage initiative, which has been operating for six months, has many facets with one of the key elements being its www.foryourmarriage.org website. The website contains much useful information and tips, stories and ideas to keep marriages alive and healthy. There has also been a strong emphasis on public service announcements and other related programs."

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Young women choosing careers over love

"When it comes to work versus romance, the stereotype has been that men put a premium on career goals while women focus more on family and friends. Not so, according to a study published recently in the scientific journal "Gender Issues."

Men were more willing than women to sacrifice achievement for a romantic relationship, according to the study conducted by Catherine Mosher of Duke University Medical Center and Sharon Danoff-Burg at the University of Albany."

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New Year Ushers In a Decision to Divorce or Break Up for Many Couples

The start of a new year is supposed to be a time of New Year's resolutions, rejuvenation and a fresh start. For many couples, sadly enough it doesn't turn out that way.

According to the research of Relationship Coaches Susie and Otto Collins (authors of "Should You Stay or Should You Go?"), more decisions to divorce and leave a relationship are made after January 1 than any other time of the year. These reasons include:

1. "I'll Just Get Through the Holidays" Mentality. People who are contemplating divorce don't usually want to spoil the holidays for their children and their families so they keep their feelings to themselves. Most couples avoid looking at and doing something about the problems that exist in their relationships before and during the holiday season to keep up appearances.

2. Old Fears Surface and Problems are Magnified. Holidays tend to bring up old feelings, fears, and resentments that have been buried and this all comes to a head when life returns to "normal" in January.

3. Feeling of Resignation, Confusion and "I Don't Like Any of My Choices." When there are long-standing, unresolved issues in a relationship, there are usually feelings of hopelessness and confusion. There can be the feeling of being pulled in different directions and not knowing what to do about their situation. These feelings are especially difficult to deal with when others are experiencing the hope of a new year.

Can anything be done to clarify their choices to make the best decision possible and perhaps prevent divorce or the relationship from dissolving?

Yes - and there are some common mistakes people make when considering this decision.

One of these mistakes is not being honest with themselves about what's truly happening in their relationship. They are usually making a lot of assumptions about what happened in the past and what may happen in the future, which may or may not be the reality of their situation. They do not have a clear picture of what's happening in their lives and they don't know how to get one.

Happy Marriage Soothes Job Stress

"A woman's satisfaction with her marriage may affect how quickly she bounces back from a hard day at work.

Happily married wives tend to bounce back better after a rocky day on the job, according to a new study of 60 California couples."

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Faith and marital fidelity go hand in hand: study

"Where you worship - and whether you worship at all - could be connected to your likelihood of straying from your marriage vows.

People who identify with a faith group are less likely to cheat on their spouses than those with no religious affiliation, a new study has found. But even among the religious set, the odds vary according to denomination."

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Ages and stages of marriage

"Research also indicates that those couples who participate in a solid pre-marital preparation program increase their odds dramatically of developing a healthy happy marriage. It should be a preparation period of three to six months and involve not only a pastor but also a mentor couple or couples.

This preparation time gives the couple an opportunity to determine their common ground, shared beliefs and values, and time to think through their current and future relationship. Meeting with a mentor couple helps them to recognize others have navigated through similar paths and thrived. One of the best gifts other family members and friends can give to an engaged couple is the encouragement of the need to attend adequate pre-marriage programs. They can be life changing."

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Marriage is "greener" than divorce, finds study

"Divorce has previously unrecognized environmental impacts including higher demand for resources and lower efficiency in household resource use, reports a new study published in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

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